Wearing apparel



Aug 24, 1954 R. D. BRIERLEY 2,686,913

WEARING APPAREL Filed June l0, 1952 INVENTOR, .qui f1 .fz'er/e Patented Aug. 24, 1954 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE WEARING APPAREL Ruth D. Brierley, Bryn Mawr, Pa. Application June 10, 1952, Serial No. 292,658

1 Claim. (Cl. 2--111) The object of the invention is to provide improvements in wearing apparel broadly, but more specifically in the sleeve anchorage of undergarments worn by children of tender years and especially young infants, while the sleeves of overgarments are drawnover their arms and such under sleeves, it being understoodv that the invention may be embodied in garments worn by older children and in fact by adults as well.

As illustrativeof the function and utility of the invention, specific reference will be made to the long-sleeved undergarments commonly worn by infants and small children, but without in any sense limiting the invention thereto. In all garments of this category, other than those designed for special wear, the sleeves are of approximately wrist length, and are intended to extend to but not below the wrist, even when covered by an overgarment, such as a dress, nightie, blouse, jacket,coat, snowsuit, and the like, and which are hereinafter referred to as outer garments.

However, as is well known by parents, nurses and all those who have dressed or changed the clothing of small children and babies, there is a long period during which such children are incapable of holding down an undergarment sleeve, while the arm and sleeve are being inserted their full length into the sleeve of an outer garment, and it is this condition that the presentinvention is designed to and does remedy.

Accordingly, another object is to provide, as a unitarypart of the undergarment sleeve, a simple means by which the sleeve end can be readily attached to or slipped over` the childs thumb or finger, for a period sufcient to permit the sleeve and the thus covered arm to be inserted their entire length through the sleeve of the outer garment, after which the thumb or finger may be immediately detached from said means.

A further object is to provide a means of this sort, that after having fulfilled its special function during a given `dressing period, and withdrawn from said thumb` or finger, will in no way annoy the wearer, because it can be detached or entirely withdrawn to an inconspicuous position laterally of the wrist, and preferably extend not i beyond the normal wrist length of the sleeve.

Still another object is to provide a thumb or finger-attaching means of this character, comprising an open aperture, or a distendable slit, within and adjacent to the free end of the garment sleeve, or a substantially U-shaped or looped section of flexible brous, plastic, metallic, or

other suitable substance, such as a cord, chain,

or the like, whose ends are normally secured,`

either detachably or xedly, to and within and parallel with the free edge of the sleeve, and preferably of elastic material of such resilient nature, that upon being removed from a temporarily distorted shape and position while extending through the crotch between the thumb and adjacent nger, or otherwise, it will automatically return to its normal shape in retracted position within the limits of said sleeve, thereafter to offer no impediment, obstruction, or annoyance, to the full use of the wearers hand and fingers.

And still another object is to provi-de a construction of this general nature, comprising either a small ring adapted to receive one or more ngers, the term nger as herein used also including the thumb as one of the natural group of ve lingers of the hand, or a larger ring or wristlet adapted to encircle the palm of the hand or wrist, and in either case being secured to the free end portion of the sleeve by a iiexible element, and operative to continue such encirclement, or to be disconnected from said nger or palm and returned to a position within the sleeve, or permitted to depend therefrom where it can function as a teething ring or as a toy, or completely detached therefrom.`

With the objects thus briefly stated, the invention comprises further details of construction and operation, which are hereinafter fully set forth in the following description, when read in conjunctionwith the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. l shows a little child having a representative type of undergarment characterized by a pair of wrist length sleeves equipped with iiexible resilient elements temporarily extending between the thumb and rst finger of each of his hands preparatory to an overgarment being placed upon him with its sleeves drawn over the sleeves of said undergarment; Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary view showing a sleeve end portion, a hand protruding therefrom and a flexible element of the type hereinbefore referred to, this figure being substantially an enlargement of a portion of Fig. 1;` Fig. 3 is a similar View to Fig. 2 but with the lexibleelement in normal retracted position within the free end portion of the undergarment sleeve, and a corresponding portion of the sleeve of an overgarment covering said first sleeve, and portions of both sleeves being broken away; Fig. 4 is a circular representation of the end portion of an undergarment sleeve equipped with the element of the invention as shown in Figs, 1, 2 and 3; Fig. 5 is the end portion of a sleeve provided with an aperture comprising a modification of the broad idea; Figs, 6,. 7 and 8 the outer garment may be a dress that covers a shirt beneath it, the essential factor being that` the garment that is intended to be worn beneath another garment is provided with the anchorage elements hereinafter described.

In this instance the invention is .shown as .comprising a short length of preferably elastic tape 3, whose opposite ends 4 are secured in any .suitable manner, as by stitching, snap-fasteners, hooks-and-eyes, gripper fasteners, or the like, slightly within the `free edge .5, .so 'that -it Vcan be detached, or when in inoperative or retracted position said tape occupies a position .approximately parallel with the adjacent edge of the sleeve, from which its central portion -is Iiirst `cieiiected and then, if of elastic material, stretched slightly so as to permit the `passage of the thumb or a `finger through the extended `loop `(Figs. 1 and 2),

' while the sleeve 6 of an outer garment (not shown in its entirety) is pulled upwardly over the firstmentioned sleeve. During this operation, it is obvious that the looped member 3.holds the undersleeve down at its intended wrist length position, until the outer sleeve has reached its final position (Fig. 3).

Thereupon, the thumb or finger, -as the case may be, is withdrawn from `said loop, and the member 3 may be detached lor permitted lto regain its normal length `and return to its normally flat-looped position within the limits-of the free edge portion 5 of said inner sleeve (Fig. .3). In this position said member offers no further restraint, tension, or discomfort of any kind to the wearer, Thus, the inevitably aggravating difiiculty heretofore of maintaining thesleeve of the undergarment in fully extended or normal position, while the sleeve of an outer garment .is -pulled upwardly over it, is 'eliminated since the under sleeve is held firmly Vagainst longitudinal `movement or from shifting in any direction, while the over sleeve .is drawn into its intended position, Whether the over sleeve l5 is of the same or lesser length than said under sleeve.

Referring to Fig. 5, there is here'shown a fragmentary end portion of an undergarment sleeve l', having a free end edge portion 8, adjacent to which the vmaterial of said sleeve is provided with any suitably shaped aperture 9, `as distinguished from a buttonholelike slit `I (Fig. 6) with which the end portion of a sleeve Il is provided adjacent to its free edge l2. In each of these two modiiications of the specific means for carrying out the invention, the edge portion of the sleeve is distended slightly beyond the wrist, so that the respective aperture 9 or the slit l0 is permitted to receive preferably the thumb of the wearers hand-or one or more of the fingers if necessary--while the sleeved arm is forced through the corresponding sleeve of an over-garment, after which the apertured or slitted end portion of the undergarment sleeve is detached from the thumb or one or more fingers and returned to its normal shape and position.

"Referring to'Fig. '7, therslightmodication here shown is 'characterizedby the fact, that one or more of the nal edge courses i3 of thread or -warp at the free end of the sleeve Irl are dropped from 9.engagement with the threads of the body of the sleeve, and connected thereto only at their -opp'os'iteendsso as to thereby provide a normally flattened .gap 3 .that is bounded upon one side by an outer flatting course that is adapted to he .distended, to provide a loop capable of receiving a thumb or finger, as hereinbefore described.

.In 'Fig. \8 -is lshowna.'modication in which the body ofv the :sleeveut is left undisturbed, except that Yto it is :secured in Aany suitable manner, either vpermanently or ldetachably, a flexible element 14.6, to .theouter end of which is attached a ring El, thatfmay-beweither relatively small to encircle -a finger :or ,thumb-of the wearer, or instead may be relatively large (as illustrated) encircling morethan one ziflnger, :the :palmof the hand, or the wrist ofthe-wearer, and which when disengaged therefrom may `serve asa teething ring, paciner, or toy.

.Having .thus Vdescribed my invention, what I claim and -desire to protect by Letters Patent of thefUnted `States .isz

A ,garmennfhaving a wrist length sleeve having a circumfenentiallycontinuous free edge adapted tonormallysurround the wea-rens wrist, in combination witha strap ysecured 'at its ends to the innerrsideof the sleeve .and-,normally in retracted position extend-.ing substantially parallel with the rend of .the sleeve :and Within its free edge, the said strap beingdi-stortable .in shape and defiectable, so fas to project-freely from said sleeve substantiallyperpendicular -to the plane of Isaid free "ed'gevvhile rencircling 4a finger of a hand whose armientends throughs'aid sleeve,.said marginal portion `upon being released from such linger automatically :returning toits inoperative retracted positionwholly v/ithin'andp'arallel with the aedge fof `said sleeve.

.References Cited in the 'file of this patent STATES PATENTS 

